:Derbent

Derbent is derived from Persian "Darband" ({{Langx|fa|دربند|lit=Door/opening in a Barrier}}, from dar "door/gate" + band "barrier/dam", lit., "gate in the barrier"{{cite book |last2=Kosarev |first2=Aleksey N. |last3=Glantz |first3=Michael |last4=Kostianoy |first4=Andrey G. |last1=Zonn |first1=Igor S. |title=The Caspian Sea Encyclopedia |year=2010 |publisher=Springer |page=160}}), referring to the eastern-most pass in the high Caucasus Mountains (whence the putative "barrier/dam") on the beaches of the Caspian Sea. (The other pass, the Darial Pass, is in the Central Caucasus Mountains, and likewise carries a Persian name, standing for "the Alan Pass/gate"{{snd}} with the Alans being the modern Iranic Ossetians.)

It is often identified with the Gates of Alexander, a legendary barrier supposedly built by Alexander the Great in the Caucasus. The Persian name for the city came into use at the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century AD, when the city was re-established by Kavadh I of the Sassanid dynasty of Persia, but Derbent was probably already in the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the Parthians and the conquest of Caucasian Albania by Shapur I, the second shah of the Sassanid Persians. The geographical treatise Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr written in Middle Persian mentions the old name of the fortress – Wērōy-pahr (The Georgian Guard):

šahrestan [ī] kūmīs [ī] panj-burg až-i dahāg pad šabestān kard. māniš [ī] *pārsīgān ānōh būd. padxwadayīh [ī] yazdgird ī šabuhrān kard andar tāzišn ī čōl wērōy-pahr [ī] an ālag. (The city of Kūmīs of five towers Aži Dahag made it his own harem. The abode of the Parthians was there. In the reign of Yazdgird, the son of Šabuhr made it during the invasion of the Čōl, at the boundary of the Georgian Guard.).{{Cite book |title=Šahrestānīhā Ī Ērānšahr: A Middle Persian Text on Late Antique Geography, Epic, and History |last=Daryaee |first=Touraj |publisher=Mazda Publishers, Inc. |year=2002 |isbn=1-56859-143-8 |location=Costa Mesa, California 92628 U.S.A. |pages=14, 18}}

-Wėrōy-pahr: "The Georgian Guard" The old name of the fortress at Darband;...{{Cite book |title=Šahrestānīhā Ī Ērānšahr: A Middle Persian Text on Late Antique Geography, Epic, and History |last=Daryaee |first=Touraj |publisher=Mazda Publishers, Inc. |year=2002 |isbn=1-56859-143-8 |location=Costa Mesa, California 92628 U.S.A. |page=40}}

In Arabic texts the city was known as "Bāb al-Abwāb" ({{langx|ar|بَاب ٱلْأَبْوَاب|lit=Gate of all Gates}}),{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/world/europe/derbent-as-russias-oldest-city-think-again-moscow-says.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 17, 2016 |title=Derbent as Russia's Oldest City? Think Again, Moscow Says |first=Neil |last=McFarquhar |access-date=February 17, 2016 |archive-date=February 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217183855/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/world/europe/derbent-as-russias-oldest-city-think-again-moscow-says.html |url-status=live }} simply as "al-Bāb" ({{Langx|ar|ٱلْبَاب|lit=The Gate}}) or as "Bāb al-Hadid" ({{Langx|ar|بَاب ٱلْحَدِيد|lit=Gate of Iron}}).{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bd4rBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA139 |title=Daghestan: Tradition and Survival |last=Chenciner |first=Robert |date=2012-10-12 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136107146 |language=en}} A similar name meaning "Iron Gate" was used by Turkic peoples, in the form "Demirkapi".{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HkYKAQAAIAAJ |title=Across the Caucasus |last=Pereira |first=Michael |date=1973-01-01 |publisher=Bles |isbn=9780713805802 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUsBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA228 |title=The Modern Part of an Universal History: From the Earliest Account of Time. Compiled from Original Writers. By the Authors of The Antient Part |date=1759 |publisher=S. Richardson, T. Osborne, C. Hitch, A. Millar, John Rivington, S. Crowder, P. Davey and B. Law, T. Longman, and C. Ware |language=en}}

File:Derband.jpg, 1910s]]

Derbent's location on a narrow, three-kilometer strip of land in the North Caucasus between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains is strategic in the entire Caucasus region. Historically, this position allowed the rulers of Derbent to control land traffic between the Eurasian Steppe and the Middle East. The only other practicable crossing of the Caucasus ridge was over the Darial Gorge.

File:Главный вход в цитадель Нарын-Кала.jpg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.]]

File:Derbent winter.jpg

A traditionally and historically Iranian city,Michael Khodarkovsky. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VRJYt-79jPUC&dq=derbent+is+a+persian+city&pg=PA47 "Bitter Choices: Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119145949/https://books.google.com/books?id=VRJYt-79jPUC&dq=derbent%20is%20a%20persian%20city&pg=PA47 |date=November 19, 2023 }} Cornell University Press, 12 mrt. 2015. {{ISBN|0801462908}}. pp. 47–52. the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC; the site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrapy of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, and is traditionally identified with Albana, the capital.{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/darband-i-ancient-city |title=DARBAND (1) |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512053119/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/darband-i-ancient-city |url-status=live }} The modern name is a Persian word ({{lang|fa|دربند}} Darband) meaning "gateway", which came into use in the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th century AD, when the city was re-established by Kavadh I of the Sassanid dynasty of Persia,{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Derbent |volume=8 |page=64}} however, Derbent was probably already into the Sasanian sphere of influence as a result of the victory over the Parthians and the conquest of Caucasian Albania by Shapur I, the second shah of the Sassanid Persians. In the 5th century Derbent also functioned as a border fortress and the seat of a Sassanid marzban.

The {{convert|20|m|ft|sp=us|adj=mid|-high}} walls with thirty north-looking towers are believed to belong to the time of Kavadh's son, Khosrau I, who also directed the construction of Derbent's fortress.Kevin Alan Brook. [https://books.google.com/books?id=hEuIveNl9kcC&dq=derbent+sassanid+fortress&pg=PA126 "The Jews of Khazatia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119145950/https://books.google.com/books?id=hEuIveNl9kcC&dq=derbent+sassanid+fortress&pg=PA126 |date=November 19, 2023 }} Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 27 sep. 2006. {{ISBN|978-1442203020}}. p. 126.

Some say that the level of the Caspian was formerly higher and that the lowering of the water level opened an invasion route that had to be fortified.Robert H. Hewsen, Armenia: A Historical Atlas, 2001, page 89. The chronicler Movses Kaghankatvatsi wrote about "the wondrous walls, for whose construction the Persian kings exhausted our country, recruiting architects and collecting building materials with a view of constructing a great edifice stretching between the Caucasus Mountains and the Great Eastern Sea". Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid Empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

During periods when the Sasanians were distracted by war with the Byzantines or protracted battles with the Hephthalites in the eastern provinces, the northern tribes succeeded in advancing into the Caucasus. The first Sasanian attempt to seal off the road along the Caspian seacoast at Darband by means of a mud-brick wall has been dated in the reign of Yazdegerd II (438–457 AD).

Movses Kagankatvatsi left a graphic description of the sack of Derbent by the hordes of Tong Yabghu of the Western Turkic Khaganate in 627. His successor,{{citation needed|date=July 2010}}

As mentioned by the Encyclopedia Iranica, ancient Iranian language elements were absorbed into the everyday speech of the population of Dagestan and Derbent especially during the Sassanian era, and many remain current.{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dagestan |title=DAGESTAN |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=April 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429175746/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dagestan |url-status=live }} In fact, a deliberate policy of “Persianizing” Derbent and the eastern Caucasus, in general, can be traced over many centuries, from Khosrow I to the Safavid shahs Ismail I, and ʿAbbās the Great. According to the account in the later "Darband-nāma", after construction of the fortifications Khosrow I “moved much folk here from Persia”,Saidov and Shikhsaidov, pp. 26–27. relocating about 3,000 families from the interior of Persia in the city of Derbent and neighboring villages. This account seems to be corroborated by the Spanish Arab Ḥamīd Moḥammad Ḡarnāṭī, who reported in 1130 that Derbent was populated by many ethnic groups, including a large Persian-speaking population.Bol’shakov and Mongaĭt, p. 26.

In 643, Derbent was captured by the Arab Muslims, who called it the Gate of Gates (Bab al-Abwab),{{Cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/islam-islam-caucasus-and-middle-volga |title=Islam: Islam In The Caucasus And The Middle Volga |access-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130064441/https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/islam-islam-caucasus-and-middle-volga |url-status=live }} following their invasion of Persia. They transformed it into an important administrative center and introduced Islam to the area. The impression of antiquity evoked by these fortifications led many Arab historians to connect them with Khosrow I and to include them among the seven wonders of the world. The Darband fortress was certainly the most prominent Sasanian defensive construction in the Caucasus and could have been erected only by an extremely powerful central government. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. The Sassanids had also brought Armenians from Syunik to help protect the pass from invaders; as Arab rule weakened in the region at the end of the ninth century, the Armenians living there were able to establish a community, which lasted until the early years of the thirteenth century.See {{in lang|hy}} Sedrak Barkhudaryan, “Դերբենդի հայ-աղվանական թագավորությունը” (“The Armenian-Caucasian Albanian Kingdom of Derbend”). Patma-Banasirakan Handes . № 3, 1969, pp. 125-147.{{in lang|hy}} Matthew of Edessa. Ժամանակնագրություն (Chronicle). Translated by Hrach Bartikyan. Yerevan: Hayastan Publishing, 1973, pp. 151-152, 332, note 132a. The Holy Saviour Armenian Church still rises up in the skyline, though it is used as the Museum of Carpet, Arts and Crafts today due to the decline in the Armenian population. There was also a second Armenian church and two Armenian schools which served the Armenian community, which numbered about 3,000 in the census of 1913.

Excavations on the eastern side of the Caspian Sea, opposite to Derbent, revealed the Great Wall of Gorgan, the eastern counterpart to the wall and fortifications of Derbent. Similar Sassanian defensive fortifications there—massive forts, garrison towns, long walls—also run from the sea to the mountains.

The Caliph Harun al-Rashid lived in Derbent and brought it into great repute as a seat of the arts and commerce.{{cn|date=April 2024}} According to Arab historians, Derbent, with a population exceeding 50,000, was the largest city of the 9th century in the Caucasus. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the Arab Caliphate, Derbent became the capital of an emirate. Emirate of Derbent often fought losing wars with the neighboring Christian state of Sarir, allowing Sarir to manipulate Derbent's politics on occasion. Despite that, the emirate outlived its rival and continued to flourish at the time of the Mongol invasion in 1239. In the 14th century, Derbent was occupied by Timur's armies.

The Shirvanshahs dynasty existed as independent or a vassal state, from 861 until 1538; longer than any other dynasty in the Islamic world. They were renowned for their cultural achievements and geopolitical pursuits. The rulers of Shirvan, called the Shirvanshahs, had attempted, and on numerous times, succeeded, to conquer Derbend since the 18th Shirvanshah king, Afridun I, was appointed as the governor of the city. Over the centuries the city changed hands often. The 21st Shirvanshah king, Akhsitan I, briefly reconquered the city. However, the city was lost once again to the northern Kipchaks.

After the Timurid invasion, Ibrahim I of Shirvan, the 33rd Shirvanshah, managed to keep the kingdom of Shirvan independent. Ibrahim I revived Shirvan's fortunes, and through his cunning politics managed to continue without paying tribute. Furthermore, Ibrahim also greatly increased the limits of his state. He conquered the city of Derbend in 1437. The Shirvanshahs integrated the city so closely with their political structure that a new branch of the Shirvan dynasty emerged from Derbend, the Derbenid dynasty. The Derbenid dynasty, being a cadet dynasty of Shirvan, inherited the throne of Shirvan in the 15th century.

In the early 16th century, the kingdom of Shirvan was conquered by Shah Ismail of the Safavid dynasty. As Shah Ismail incorporated all the Shirvan possessions, he also inherited Derbend.

File:Derbendt int ruck van Persien - Peeters Jacob - 1690.jpg

image:דרבנטDERBENT.JPG

Derbent stayed under Iranian rule, while occasionally briefly taken by the Ottoman Turks such as in 1583 after the Battle of Torches and the Treaty of Constantinople, till the course of the 19th century, when the Russians occupied the city and wider Iranian-ruled swaths of Dagestan.{{cite book |last=Swietochowski |first=Tadeusz |author-link=Tadeusz Swietochowski |year=1995 |title=Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition |pages=69, 133 |publisher=Columbia University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&q=Russia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism |isbn=978-0-231-07068-3}}{{cite book |last=L. Batalden |first=Sandra |year=1997 |title=The newly independent states of Eurasia: handbook of former Soviet republics |page=98 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WFjPAxhBEaEC&q=The+newly+independent+states+of+Eurasia:+handbook+of+former+Soviet+republics |isbn=978-0-89774-940-4}}{{cite book |last=E. Ebel, Robert |first=Menon, Rajan |year=2000 |title=Energy and conflict in Central Asia and the Caucasus |page=181 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-sCpf26vBZ0C&q=Energy+and+conflict+in+Central+Asia+and+the+Caucasus |isbn=978-0-7425-0063-1 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625053959/https://books.google.com/books?id=-sCpf26vBZ0C&q=Energy+and+conflict+in+Central+Asia+and+the+Caucasus#v=snippet&q=Energy%20and%20conflict%20in%20Central%20Asia%20and%20the%20Caucasus&f=false |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Andreeva |first=Elena |year=2010 |title=Russia and Iran in the great game: travelogues and orientalism |page=6 |edition=reprint |publisher=Taylor & Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&q=%3DRussia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism |isbn=978-0-415-78153-4 |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625054149/https://books.google.com/books?id=FfRYRwAACAAJ&q=%3DRussia+and+Iran+in+the+great+game:+travelogues+and+orientalism |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Çiçek, Kemal |first=Kuran, Ercüment |year=2000 |title=The Great Ottoman-Turkish Civilisation |publisher=University of Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5VpAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Great+Ottoman-Turkish+Civilisation |isbn=978-975-6782-18-7 |access-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625054150/https://books.google.com/books?id=c5VpAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Great+Ottoman-Turkish+Civilisation |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Ernest Meyer, Karl |first=Blair Brysac, Shareen |year=2006 |title=Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia |page=66 |publisher=Basic Books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ssv-GONnxTsC&q=Tournament+of+Shadows:+The+Great+Game+and+the+Race+for+Empire+in+Central+Asia |isbn=978-0-465-04576-1}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1070 |title=Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent |access-date=29 December 2014 |archive-date=December 1, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201004316/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1070 |url-status=live }}

Being briefly taken by the Russians as a result of the Persian expedition of 1722–23 by Peter the Great, the 1735 Treaty of Ganja, formed by Imperial Russia and Safavid Iran (de facto ruled by Nader Shah), forced Russia to return Derbent and its bastion to Iran. In 1747, Derbent became the capital of the Derbent Khanate of the same name.

During the Persian Expedition of 1796, Derbent was stormed by Russian forces under General Valerian Zubov, but the Russians were forced to retreat due to internal political issues,{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3bt9AwAAQBAJ&q=Persian+Expedition+of+1796+derbent&pg=PA3 |title=Alexey Yermolov's Memoirs |isbn=9781105258183 |access-date=29 December 2014 |last1=Mikaberidze |first1=Alexander |year=2011 |publisher=Lulu.com |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625054004/https://books.google.com/books?id=3bt9AwAAQBAJ&q=Persian+Expedition+of+1796+derbent&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q=Persian%20Expedition%20of%201796%20derbent&f=false |url-status=live }} making it fall under Persian rule again.

As a consequence of the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and the resulting Treaty of Gulistan of 1813, Derbent and wider Dagestan were ceded by Qajar Iran to the Russian Empire.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&q=derbent+treaty+of+gulistan&pg=PA729 |title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond ... |isbn=9781598849486 |access-date=29 December 2014 |last1=Dowling |first1=Timothy C. |date=December 2, 2014 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625054153/https://books.google.co.id/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&q=derbent+treaty+of+gulistan&pg=PA729&redir_esc=y |url-status=live }} (For background, see Russian conquest of the Caucasus#Caspian Coast.)

In the 1886 census of Dagestan Oblast, as part of Russia's Caucasus Viceroyalty, people of Iranian descent ({{langx|ru|link=no|персы}}) were still an absolute majority at 8,994 out of 15,265, or 58,9%.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rndaghestan.html |title=НАСЕЛЕНИЕ ДАГЕСТАНА ДАГЕСТАНСКАЯ ОБЛАСТЬ (1886 г.) Retrieved 29 October 2015 |access-date=July 3, 2012 |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422114950/http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rndaghestan.html |url-status=live }}

The modern city is built in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe; near the western shores of the Caspian Sea, south of the Rubas River, on the slopes of the Tabasaran Mountains (part of the Bigger Caucasus range). Derbent is well served by public transport, with its own harbor, a railway going south to Baku, and the Baku to Rostov-on-Don road.

To the north of the town is the monument of the Kirk-lar, or forty heroes, who fell defending Dagestan against the Arabs in 728. To the south lies the seaward extremity of the Caucasian wall (fifty metres long), otherwise known as Alexander's Wall, blocking the narrow pass of the Iron Gate or Caspian Gates (Portae Athanae or Portae Caspiae). When intact, the wall had a height of {{convert|29|ft|m|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} and a thickness of about {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} and, with its iron gates and numerous watch-towers, defended Persia's frontier.

Derbent has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Winters are highly variable, with very cold nights interspersed with occasional bouts of sunshine and summerlike temperatures. Highest temperature was recorded 38.8°C (101.8°F) on August 29, 1995 and August 13, 1974 and lowest temperature was recorded -19.0°C (-2.2°F) on February 14, 1988 and February 3, 1994, and the highest lowest temperature recorded was 28.9°C (84.0°F) on July 6, 1990, July 12, 2010 and June 7, 1984, lowest high was -6.1°C (21.0°F) on January 15, 1993 and December 7, 2005.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location=Derbent

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|Jan record high C = 26.7

|Feb record high C = 26.6

|Mar record high C = 28.3

|Apr record high C = 30.1

|May record high C = 34.2

|Jun record high C = 35.3

|Jul record high C = 35.8

|Aug record high C = 38.8

|Sep record high C = 33.0

|Oct record high C = 28.0

|Nov record high C = 28.0

|Dec record high C = 27.6

|year record high C = 38.8

|Jan high C = 4.8

|Feb high C = 4.7

|Mar high C = 7.4

|Apr high C = 13.6

|May high C = 20.0

|Jun high C = 25.4

|Jul high C = 28.4

|Aug high C = 28.2

|Sep high C = 23.7

|Oct high C = 17.5

|Nov high C = 11.7

|Dec high C = 7.2

|year high C = 16.1

|Jan mean C = 2.1

|Feb mean C = 2.0

|Mar mean C = 4.5

|Apr mean C = 10.1

|May mean C = 16.3

|Jun mean C = 21.7

|Jul mean C = 24.9

|Aug mean C = 24.6

|Sep mean C = 20.2

|Oct mean C = 14.3

|Nov mean C = 8.9

|Dec mean C = 4.5

|year mean C = 12.9

|Jan low C = -0.2

|Feb low C = -0.2

|Mar low C = 2.2

|Apr low C = 7.1

|May low C = 12.8

|Jun low C = 17.9

|Jul low C = 21.2

|Aug low C = 21.0

|Sep low C = 16.9

|Oct low C = 11.4

|Nov low C = 6.4

|Dec low C = 2.3

|year low C = 10.0

|Jan record low C = -18.9

|Feb record low C = -19.0

|Mar record low C = -9.1

|Apr record low C = -3.1

|May record low C = 4.1

|Jun record low C = 8.5

|Jul record low C = 12.9

|Aug record low C = 10.7

|Sep record low C = 5.1

|Oct record low C = -3.4

|Nov record low C = -9.7

|Dec record low C = -14.2

|year record low C = -19.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 30.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 31.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 23.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 20.9

|May precipitation mm = 22.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 18.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 18.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 24.8

|Sep precipitation mm = 47.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 52.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 48.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 39.9

|year precipitation mm = 379.5

|Jan precipitation days = 11.0

|Feb precipitation days = 10.9

|Mar precipitation days = 8.7

|Apr precipitation days = 6.1

|May precipitation days = 5.9

|Jun precipitation days = 5.8

|Jul precipitation days = 4.9

|Aug precipitation days = 5.2

|Sep precipitation days = 7.3

|Oct precipitation days = 9.3

|Nov precipitation days = 10.6

|Dec precipitation days = 11.2

|year precipitation days = 96.8

|Jan sun = 72

|Feb sun = 73

|Mar sun = 102

|Apr sun = 158

|May sun = 227

|Jun sun = 260

|Jul sun = 275

|Aug sun = 248

|Sep sun = 193

|Oct sun = 133

|Nov sun = 86

|Dec sun = 67

|year sun = 1894

|source 1 = climatebase.ru{{cite web |url=http://climatebase.ru/station/37470/ |title=Climatebase |access-date=November 4, 2017 |archive-date=April 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416180050/http://climatebase.ru/station/37470/ |url-status=live }}

|date = November 2017

}}

File:Derbent. Dagestan.jpg

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Derbent serves as the administrative center of Derbentsky District, even though it is not a part of it.Law #16 As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the City of Derbent—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the City of Derbent is incorporated as Derbent Urban Okrug.Law #6

{{Historical populations|1897|14649|1926|23100|1939|34100|1959|47318|1970|57192|1979|69575|1989|78371|2002|101031|2010|119200|2021|124953|type=|footnote=Source:

Census data}}According to the 1897 census, Derbent had 14,649 inhabitants, 9,767 of whom were Tatar (later known as Azerbaijani) speakers (66.7%) and 1,004 were Russian speakers (6.9%).{{Cite web |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=364 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=www.demoscope.ru |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411093259/http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=364 |url-status=live }}

In 1916, Derbent had a population of 31,168 consisting of 7,919 Shia Muslims (25.4%), 7,567 Russians (24.3%), 6,879 Jews (22.1%), 5,138 Caucasian highlanders (16.5%), 2,604 Armenians (8.4%), and 1,061 Sunni Muslims (3.4%).{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |title=Кавказский календарь на 1917 год |publisher=Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom |year=1917 |edition=72nd |publication-place=Tiflis |pages=186–193 |language=Russian |trans-title=Caucasian calendar for 1917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104233151/https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |archive-date=4 November 2021}}

According to the 2021 Census, the main ethnic groups in the city are:{{cite web |url=https://05.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/5.2.%20%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%A6%D0%98%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%AC%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%99%20%D0%A1%D0%9E%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%90%D0%92%20%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%A1%D0%95%D0%9B%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%AF%20%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%9F%D0%A3%D0%91%D0%9B%D0%98%D0%9A%D0%98%20%D0%94%D0%90%D0%93%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%90%D0%9D%20%D0%9F%D0%9E%20%D0%93%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%9E%D0%94%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%9C%20%D0%9E%D0%9A%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%93%D0%90%D0%9C%20%D0%98%20%D0%9C%D0%A3%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%A6%D0%98%D0%9F%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%AC%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%9C%20%D0%A0%D0%90%D0%99%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%9C.xlsx |title=Национальный состав населения |publisher=Rosstat |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-date=July 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708083927/https://05.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/5.2.%20%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%A6%D0%98%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%AC%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%99%20%D0%A1%D0%9E%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%90%D0%92%20%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%A1%D0%95%D0%9B%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%AF%20%D0%A0%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%9F%D0%A3%D0%91%D0%9B%D0%98%D0%9A%D0%98%20%D0%94%D0%90%D0%93%D0%95%D0%A1%D0%A2%D0%90%D0%9D%20%D0%9F%D0%9E%20%D0%93%D0%9E%D0%A0%D0%9E%D0%94%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%9C%20%D0%9E%D0%9A%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%93%D0%90%D0%9C%20%D0%98%20%D0%9C%D0%A3%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%A6%D0%98%D0%9F%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%AC%D0%9D%D0%AB%D0%9C%20%D0%A0%D0%90%D0%99%D0%9E%D0%9D%D0%90%D0%9C.xlsx |url-status=live }}

• Lezgins (36.4%)
• Azerbaijanis (35.1%)
• Tabasarans (12.2%)
• Dargins (5.0%)
• Russians (3.0%)
• Aghuls (3.0%)
• Rutuls (0.8%)

{{main|History of the Jews in Derbent}}

Jews began to settle in Derbent in ancient times. During the Khazars' reign, they played an important part in the life of the city.{{cite web |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5098-derbent |title=DERBENT - JewishEncyclopedia.com |access-date=June 9, 2015 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106121413/http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5098-derbent |url-status=live }} The Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela mentions Jews living in Derbent in the 12th century, and Christian traveler Wilhelm of Rubruquis writes about a Jewish community in the 13th century. The first mention of Jews in Derbent in modern times is by a German traveler, Adam Olearius, in the 17th century.

Derbent's Jewry suffered during the wars in the 18th century. Nadir Shah of Persia forced many Jews to adopt Islam. After the Russian conquest, many Jews of rural Dagestan fled to Derbent, which became the spiritual center of the Mountain Jews. The Jewish population numbered 2,200 in 1897 (15% of total population) and 3,500 in 1903. In the middle of the 20th century, Jews constituted about a third of the population of Derbent.{{cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5104038 |agency=Haaretz |date=April 19, 2010 |title=Saving Another Dying Jewish Language Before It's Too Late |access-date=March 14, 2020 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017122446/https://www.haaretz.com/1.5104038 |url-status=live }} In 1989, there were 13,000 Jews in the city, but most emigrated after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2002, there were 2,000 Jews with an active synagogue and community center.{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05114.html |title=Derbent - Jewish Virtual Library |access-date=June 9, 2015 |archive-date=January 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114015133/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05114.html |url-status=live }} The chief rabbi of Derbent, Obadiah Isakov, was badly injured in an assassination attempt on July 25, 2013, sparking concerns of further acts of antisemitism targeting the Jewish community.{{cite web |url=http://izrus.co.il/diasporaIL/article/2013-07-26/21826.html |title=После покушения на раввина евреи Дагестана живут в страхе |access-date=June 9, 2015 |archive-date=August 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805164225/http://izrus.co.il/diasporaIL/article/2013-07-26/21826.html |url-status=live }} In 2016, the Jewish population was down to 1,345.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/world/europe/derbent-as-russias-oldest-city-think-again-moscow-says.html?_r=0 |title=Derbent as Russia's Oldest City? Think Again, Moscow Says |work=The New York Times |date=February 17, 2016 |access-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-date=October 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006051157/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/world/europe/derbent-as-russias-oldest-city-think-again-moscow-says.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |last1=MacFarquhar |first1=Neil }} In the 2024 Dagestan attacks, a synagogue in Derbent was set on fire by armed gunmen, possibly affiliated with ISIS.{{Cite web |last=Deaton |first=Darya Tarasova, Jen |date=2024-06-23 |title=Priest and police officer killed in attacks on synagogue and church in Russia's Dagestan |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/23/europe/dagestan-synagogue-attack-russia-intl-latam/index.html |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624114346/https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/23/europe/dagestan-synagogue-attack-russia-intl-latam/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2024-06-23 |title=At least 4 dead, 13 wounded in shooting attack on Russian synagogue, Orthodox church |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-807360 |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en |archive-date=June 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623180018/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-807360 |url-status=live }}

The city is home to machine building, food, textile, fishing, and fishery supplies, construction materials, and wood industries. It is the center of Russian brandy production. The educational infrastructure includes a university as well as several technical schools. On the cultural front, there is a Lezgin drama theater (named after S. Stalsky). About two kilometers ({{convert|2|km|abbr=off|disp=output only}}) from the city is the vacation colony of Chayka (Seagull).

The Soviet novelist Yury Krymov named a fictional motor tanker after the city in his book The Tanker "Derbent".

• Derbent State Museum-Reserve
• Cabin of Peter the Great
• Alexander Bestuzhev House

Derbent has 3 state and 1 municipal theaters.

• State Azerbaijan Drama Theater
• State Lezgin Music and Drama Theater named after S. Stalsky
• State Tabasaran Drama Theater
• Judeo-Tat Theatre

{{main|Fortifications of Derbent}}

File:Крепость Нарын-Кала. Дербент.jpg (Derbent)]]

Derbent resembles a huge museum and has magnificent mountains and shore nearby, and therefore possesses much touristic potential, further increased by UNESCO's classification of the citadel, ancient city and fortress as a World Heritage Site in 2003; however, instability in the region has halted development.

The current fortification and walls were built by the Persian Sassanian Empire as a defensive structure against hostile nomadic people in the north, and continuously repaired or improved by later Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan, and Iranian kingdoms until the early course of the 19th century, as long as its military function lasted. The fortress was built under the direction of the Sassanid emperor Khosrow (Chosroes) I.

A large portion of the walls and several watchtowers still remain in reasonable shape. The walls, reaching to the sea, date from the 6th century, Sassanid dynasty period. The city has a well-preserved citadel (Narin-kala), enclosing an area of {{convert|4.5|ha}}, enclosed by strong walls. Historical attractions include the baths, the cisterns, the old cemeteries, the caravanserai, the 18th-century Khan's mausoleum, as well as several mosques.

As of 1865, the city had: 1 - Russian and 1 - Armenian church; 1 - Sunni and 16 - Shiite mosques, as well as 3 synagogues.P. Semenov. Derbent // Geographical and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire. Volume II. - St. Petersburg, 1865. pp. 36-37.

• Juma Mosque is the oldest mosque in Russia and the CIS. Built over a 6th-century Christian basilica; it has a 15th-century madrasa.
• Bala-mosque is a mosque at the gates of Orta-kapa. In 1796 it was destroyed during the siege of the city by General Zubov. Restored in 1812.Huseynov G.-B. Ya., 2005, pp. 79—80.
• Kilis-mosque is a mosque. It is located in the 7th district. In 1823-1853 the mosque served as a church. Now it is called Tovba Mesjidi.Huseynov G.-B. Ya., 2005, pp. 346—349.
• Kyrhlyar-mosque is a mosque at the gates of Kyrhlyar-kapa. Built in 1626-1627 by order of Shah Abbas. Another name is Shah Abbas Mesjidi. Rebuilt several times.Huseynov G.-B. Ya., 2005, pp. 392—395.
• The Minaret-mosque is the only mosque in the city with a minaret. Construction dates back to the XIII-XIV centuries. Rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century. The minaret is 11.5 meters high.Huseynov G.-B. Ya., 2005, p. 440.
• Chertebe-mosque is a mosque in 1 mahal. Construction dates back to the 17th century. Rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. Completely demolished in the 1960s.Huseynov G.-B. Ya., 2005, p. 702.

• The Armenian Church of the Holy All-Savior is an architectural monument of the 19th century. Built in 1860. After the completion of the overhaul and restoration work, in May 1982, a museum of fine arts (a branch of the republican museum of fine arts) was opened in it. The museum became part of the State Museum-Reserve as a department of "Carpets and arts and crafts".
• Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin is an Orthodox church. Built in 1899, opened in 1900. [https://web.archive.org/web/20141023204745/http://www.stavropolye.tv/sfdnews/view/37183 How does the Orthodox live in Dagestan?]
• Cathedral of St. George the Victorious of Derbent was the main Russian Orthodox Church in the city of Derbent. Demolished in 1938.
• Crossed-dome temple of Derbent is a temple of the 4-7 centuries. It is located in the northwestern part of the citadel Naryn-Kala.

• The Derbent Synagogue is the only synagogue in the city. The center of the spiritual life of the Jews of Derbent. Built in 1914. In 2009 the synagogue building was reconstructed. It was reopened on March 22, 2010.
• On June 23, 2024, terrorists burned the Jewish synagogue in Derbent.[https://channel3now.com/2024/06/23/heavy-gunfire-reported-at-2-locations-in-russias-dagestan-region-synagogue-on-fire-police-officer-killed-derbent/ Terrorists burned the Jewish synagogue in Derbent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623165335/https://channel3now.com/2024/06/23/heavy-gunfire-reported-at-2-locations-in-russias-dagestan-region-synagogue-on-fire-police-officer-killed-derbent/ |date=June 23, 2024 }}. 06-23-2024.[https://glavnoe.life/news/55081-koshmar-v-dagestane-pervyie-vesti.html?utm_source=adwile&utm_content=6280955&utm_campaign=17734&utm_term=14556&ci=884ffc93-97f0-4a79-8894-97206b4c2f99&fpr=2001_11&full=1 Nightmare in Dagestan]. 06-23-2024.[https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240623-gunmen-conduct-deadly-attacks-on-churches-synagogue-and-police-post-in-russia-s-dagestan Gunmen in Russia’s Dagestan attack churches, synagogue and police post] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623204713/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240623-gunmen-conduct-deadly-attacks-on-churches-synagogue-and-police-post-in-russia-s-dagestan |date=June 23, 2024 }}. 06-23-2024.[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/23/world/europe/russia-attack-dagestan.html Gunmen Kill at Least 6 at Synagogue and Churches in Russian Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624090906/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/23/world/europe/russia-attack-dagestan.html |date=June 24, 2024 }}. 06-23-2024.

• Kyrkhlyar is an old and revered cemetery established in the 7th century. It is the oldest active Muslim cemetery in Russia.{{Cite web |url=https://archi.ru/russia/96358/kladbische-v-derbente |title=Holy stones |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329215404/https://archi.ru/russia/96358/kladbische-v-derbente |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://archi.ru/projects/russia/17543/rekonstrukciya-i-blagoustroistvo-istoricheskogo-musulmanskogo-kladbischa-kyrkhlyar |title=Reconstruction and improvement of the historical Muslim cemetery Kyrkhlyar |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327101755/https://archi.ru/projects/russia/17543/rekonstrukciya-i-blagoustroistvo-istoricheskogo-musulmanskogo-kladbischa-kyrkhlyar |url-status=live }} The name means "the forty" and refers to the 40 companions of Muhammad who were killed there in 20 AH (640-641 CE) during the early Muslim expansion.{{Cite web |url=https://russia.travel/objects/281790/ |title=Derbent - Kyrkhlyar |access-date=2022-06-29 |archive-date=2022-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629190913/https://russia.travel/objects/281790/ |url-status=live}}

• Derbent Lighthouse is the southernmost lighthouse in Russia. The lighthouse is included in the list of protected monuments of Russia and UNESCO.

• Shahriyar of Derbent (7th century), Sasanian commander
• Djumshud Ashurov (1913–1980), composer
• Yuno Avshalumov (1934–1981), conductor, and teacher
• Daniil Atnilov (1913–1968), poet
• Mishi Bakhshiev (1910–1972), writer and poet
• Manuvakh Dadashev (1913–1943), poet
• Mikhail Dadashev (1936), writer
• Musaib Dzhum-Dzhum (1905–1974), theatre director
• Boris Gavrilov (1908–1990), writer and poet
• Mikhail Gavrilov (1926–2014), writer and poet
• Sergey Izgiyayev (1922–1972), poet, playwright, and translator
• Mozol Izrailova (born 1955), actress
• Suleyman Kerimov (born 1966), businessman, investor, and politician
• Lev Manakhimov (1950–2021), theatre director
• Bikel Matatova (1928–2013), actress
• Ekhiil Matatov (1888–1943), a Soviet statesman
• Yagutil Mishiev (1927–2024), writer
• Mushail Mushailov (1941–2007), artist and teacher
• Tamara Musakhanov (1924–2014), sculptor and ceramist
• Bella Nisan (born ca.1957), ophthalmologist
• Sevil Novruzova (born ca.1977), lawyer
• Asaf Pinkhasov (1884–1920), educator, scholar, translator
• Konstantin Saradzhev, (1877-1954), conductor and violinist
• Zoya Semenduev (1929–2020), poet
• Yuno Semyonov (1899–1961), writer, playwright and artistic director
• Akhso Shalumova (1909–1985), actress
• Israel Tsvaygenbaum (born 1961), artist
• Igor Yusufov (born 1956), politician

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Derbent is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Города-побратимы |url=http://derbent.ru/city/pobratimy/ |website=derbent.ru |publisher=Derbent |language=ru |access-date=2020-02-03 |archive-date=September 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909102411/http://derbent.ru/city/pobratimy/ |url-status=live }}

• {{flagicon|AZE}} Ganja, Azerbaijan
• {{flagicon|USA}} Yakima, United States
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Hadera, Israel
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Kronstadt, Russia

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|da|adm|law}}
• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|da|mun|list}}
• Some text used with permission from [http://www.travel-images.com www.travel-images.com]. The original text can be found here [http://www.travel-images.com/azerb.html].
• M. S. Saidov, ed., Katalog arabskikh rukopiseĭ Instituta IYaL Dagestanskogo filiala AN SSSR (Catalogue of Arabic manuscripts in the H.L.L. Institute of the Dāḡestān branch of the A.N. of the U.S.S.R.) I, Moscow, 1977.
• Idem and A. R. Shikhsaidov, “Derbend-name (k istorii izucheniya)” (Darband-nāma. On the history of research),” in Vostochnye istochniki po istorii Dagestana (Eastern sources on the history of Dāḡestān), Makhachkala, 1980, pp. 564.

{{Commonscat}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Wiktionary}}

• [http://www.derbent.ru/ Official website of Derbent] {{in lang|ru}}
• [https://derbent.jsprav.ru/ Derbent Business Directory] {{in lang|ru}}
• [http://www.towns.ru/towns/derbent_en.html History and attractions of Derbent]
• [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dagestan History of Derbent and the millennia old historical and cultural relations it has with Iran.]

{{Republic of Dagestan}}

{{World Heritage Sites in Russia}}

{{Iranian Architecture}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2011}}

Category:Cities and towns in Dagestan

Category:Archaeological sites in Dagestan

Category:Populated places on the Caspian Sea

Category:Populated coastal places in Russia

Category:Sasanian cities

Category:Persian-Caucasian architecture

Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia

Category:Wine regions of Russia